The case is just the latest in a series of political campaigning privacy gaffes.

Previous miscreants have included the Scottish Nationalist Party, the Lib Dems, the 2012 “Better Together” movement supporting a “No” vote in the first Scottish independence referendum and most recently the Daily Telegraph, which was fined £30,000 for sending hundreds of thousands of emails on the day of the general election urging its readers to vote Conservative.

As Information Commissioner Christopher Graham commented:

“The rules apply to political groups canvassing for votes in the same way as they apply to salespeople offering a discount on doubleglazing……It is not good enough to assume the people you’re contacting probably won’t mind. The law requires you to have permission before making calls with recorded messages. And if the law isn’t followed, the regulator will act.”